Before I begin, let me just introduce my write ups on Annapurna Base Camp, written in Malay -----------> Annapurna Base Camp (Bahagian 1) and Menjejaki Annapurna Base Camp. I guess it's about time to be bilingual so that I will be able to share more information to more people.
It is really difficult to start my write up on one of my most adventurous trip which is hiking to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). So i guess it is best to share the various routes from several starting points heading to ABC. So I hope the picture below will help you to plan your hiking trip as you want. By the way, I would like to recommend my dearest friend Mr. Saligram Aryal from Mountain World Treks for the guidance, assistance and wonderful friendship during my hiking trip. Of course I will always remember my little Nepalese brother Ishwor Duwadi for taking care of us and becoming our yellow-berry picker along the treks.
So, after long discussion with my little sister and recommendations from Saligram, we finally decide to start the hiking from Nayapool, which is 1 hour drive from Pokhara. Basically, the chosen route is as the following;
Day 1
Pokhara - Nayapool - Birethanti - Syauli Bazaar - Ghandruk
Day 2
Ghandruk - - Komrongdanda - Kimrongkhola - Chhomrong
Day 3
Chhomrong - Sinuwa - Bamboo - Dovan
Day 4
Dovan - Himalaya - Deurali - Macchapuchhre Base Camp (MBC)
Day 5
MBC - Annapurna Base Camp - MBC - Deurali - Dovan
Day 6
Dovan - Sinuwa - Chhromrong - Jhinudanda
Day 7
Jhinudanda - Kyume - Siwai - Syauli Bazaar
Day 8
Syauli Bazar - Birethanti - Nayapool - Pokhara
Before the trip, I was advised to do some work out on regular basis for approximately a month. However, I did not do as advised so only god knows how painful, difficult and challenging it was when hiking without physical strength and stamina. My little sister is a frequent gym goer and she had no problem at all. If it wasn't because of me causing the delay, she would have been able to reach each stop in less than the average hour. It seems that 7 kms a day on the treadmill (regular basis of course) would definitely help to increase stamina and develop strong legs. So as to remind myself and the amateur hikers alike, it is best to work out on the stamina and the strength of the lower limbs especially the knees. Mind you that this hiking trip is not necessarily challenging your physical, but also your mental.
On top of that, proper preparation of hiking attires is also crucial if you really want to enjoy the hiking. Proper hiking shoes are ABSOLUTELY necessary, or you will end up getting horrible pain on the knees. I bought a cheap hiking shoes which is made of leather but didn't bother to put it on to break it in before the hiking. So literally I was torturing my limbs for using such shoes.
The first 3 days are very much challenging especially when we have to climb thousands of steps. Some steps were uneven that we need to be careful. Silly miss-steps can cause severe injury so it's best to go slow, but not too slow of course. Going uphill with the steps was tiring but going downhill was much worse due to the impact of body weight on the knees.
I didn't really get to take pictures for the first 2 days of the trip because I needed to focus on the walking and the difficulties of the trek. Beautiful landscapes were abundant but watching my steps were the main priority. The challenge began as we started to ascend the steps to Syauli Bazaar onward. , Not only the steps, but the track seemed to elevate too with no straight path at all. I started to have muscle cramping but I did see it coming so I took the muscle relief tablet.
At the end of the steps, there was actually road access commuting passengers from Nayapool to Syauli Bazaar. Basically one can actually cut short the hiking by taking the public bus or the jeep, and continue walking to Ghandruk. This would be appropriate for those who don't have 7 or days to spend to reach Annapurna Base Camp.
 |
| Steps at Syauli Bazar. This is not so steep. |
We figured out that our room was facing one of the Annapurna peaks. It was supposed to have a beautiful view.However, it was a misty morning so we barely see the peak. It was cold but a light jacket layered with a t-shirt was good enough to keep us warm. We had breakfast, refilled our bottled water and checked out. Refilling the bottle with treated water was chargeable, which is NPR 80 per bottle. We started the hiking at 8 am.
The second day of our hiking trip is a bit more difficult. It involved going uphill and downhill couple of times and also flights of stairs which altogether makes more than two thousand steps. The downhill route heading to Komrongdanda was really challenging. And for that, I had blisters too. I was told to go fast when going downhill. They said the slower the movement when going downhill, the greater the impact to the knees. Errr...not sure about this but I did try and later I'd rather do it slowly than getting hurt.
 |
| View of Annapurna South |
 |
| The Valley of Komrongdanda |
The torture begins after our lunch stop at Kimrongkhola village where we have to go uphill and it was quite steep. The stairs were uneven and to add the flavor, the scorching heat sun was almost demotivating me. It's important to be mentally strong despite physical exhaustion. Almost cried though and somehow a little grumpy for not being able to overcome the emotion. So what I did, I sat under a shady tree as long as I can, look at the horizon and keep re-hydrating myself. My sister and Nepalese brother were already ahead of me and didn't want them to wait for me. I was pretty confident that I could cope up with them later.
Walked slowly and took small steps, I finally able to reach Chhomrong. We stayed at Excellent View Hotel in a twin room with attached bathroom. If I'm not mistaken, the rate is NPR 600 per night. Another thing one needs to know that use of Wifi is chargeable, normally around NPR 150 to NPR 300. It was a pleasant stay here but shame that Macchapuchhre peak couldn't be seen due to thick fog. Both my thighs were still cramping but I was so used to having this but hamstring cramps were unbearable.
On the third day, we started our hiking at around 8 am. First 30 minutes was a crazy downhill on steps. I was told there was a shop selling hiking gears, so I was hoping to get a new pair of hiking shoes. And I consider myself lucky that the shop did have nice pair of hiking shoes (North Face) with my size. It costed me USD 40 per pair. Apparently it wasn't the original pair but surprisingly it lasted till the end of the hiking trip. No damage, no tearing whatsoever.
After putting on the new hiking shoes, my feet were so much lighter that I could move faster. I guess I have made the right decision, otherwise I would be suffering. Landscape became much more interesting and it was on this day I started to use my camera often.
Nice and interesting view includes the mini natural pool, the walking path with ferns and also the hilly landscapes. Foggy weather seemed to be discouraging me a bit, sometimes. The hiking was a long one today but the terrain was pretty much better. But still, considering the distance, the burden was quite unbearable.
 |
| Natural pool near Chhomrong village |
 |
| Part of the treks, |
 |
| A river after Chhomrong village. It's dry season so water level is low. |
 |
| Bridge after going downhill from Chhomrong |
We stopped at Sinuwa for lunch. As notified by many hikers, food and other materials got more expensive as we went to higher altitude. And given the unfavorable currency exchange rate between USD and RM, thus NPR, we did feel the impact. A plate of vegetable fried rice was around NPR 300 and a cup of tea was NPR 80.
*Tips to reduce expenses on food: 1) It is a good idea to bring some ration which can last for the whole journey. and 2) Some food are sold in big portion, so sharing food between 2 persons are just fine (of course unless if you have a big 'tank').
We continued the walk to Bamboo. As the name indicates, there were indeed so many bamboo trees as we approach the small area. Bamboo was merely a small land with several guesthouses for the hikers and I didn't see any residential houses there. So we stopped there to relax before heading to Dovan.
We reached Dovan ahead of the expected time. It was getting colder in the evening and we stayed warm with layers of shirts and pants. This time, we stayed in a room without attached bathroom, so it was really cold after shower. Use of heater costed NPR150 per person but I was fine with freezing water for some reasons. It wasn't a normal bath though. During the hiking trip, I realized that we went off to bed really early, as early as 9 pm. It was really deep sleep and we woke up at 6 am, feeling all fresh.
The fourth day was more relaxing. On top of having my hiking shoes replaced, the terrain and treks were physically less challenging but we must be very careful with our steps due to uneven trek surface, sometimes sandy and pebbly. Walking to Himalaya was a pleasant one with sun light but weather was not that great when approaching Deurali, all grey and gloomy. It was raining just right after we were about to head to Macchapuchhre Base Camp (MBC). It took 2 hours to reach MBC from Deurali and passed through an avalanche/landslide risk zone, which was a little scary. With the dark and gloomy, that area reminded me of a scene the Lord of The Ring, where Frodo and Gollum were heading to Mordor.
Half way to MBC, it was raining but because of the subzero temperature, the rain drops turned to ice. We met several people coming from MBC and they said there was snow storm. That got us freaking out a bit though I didn't particularly believe it. After entering the avalanche/landslide risked zone, all hiker was advised not to stop at all and get out of the zone as soon as possible. I couldn't help to stop and take pictures, though the pictures turned out bad and not interesting at all. I guess my camera came to its functional limitation.
 |
| Landscape before reaching Deurali |
 |
| Cascading waterfall on the way to MBC |
 |
| Part of the avalanche/landslide risked zone. |
 |
| As we approached MBC, we were greeted with this view. |
We were supposed to start our fifth day as early as 4.30 am so that we could witness the sunrise. But since our little brother couldn't wake up, and we didn't want to wake him up, we left the guest house at 6.30. Opposite the guesthouse, we could see the glacier which we have to pass through to get to Annapurna Base Camp.
 |
| The glacier heading to ABC |
 |
| Macchapuchhre peak behind the guest house |
 |
 |
| Stunning |
After having breakfast at ABC, it was time to bid good bye to this gorgeous place. We returned to MBC, checked out and headed to Dovan. The weather was even more gloomy and it rained awful lot. It was even scarier to pass the avalanche risk area with that kind of condition, and when approaching Deurali, I had goosebumps as it was foggy and I could barely see the steps and moved really slow. Thank god we reached Deurali safely and rested.
On the sixth day, we went down to Chhomrong for lunch stop using the same route. Today we have walked extra mile and further downhill to Jhinudanda. It was another small village with limited guest houses but most hikers would try to put up a night there to take a dip at the hot spring by the river. Going downhill from Chhomrong to Jhinudanda was a real knee-shivering experience. It was very steep and the stairs were somehow a bit dangerous without any banister, and narrow too. It was very important to move slowly and carefully, otherwise I would have injured my knees.
We checked-in at Hotel Namaste (NPR 300 for a twin room) and relaxed before taking a dip at the hot spring.To get to the hot spring, all visitor must pay NPR 50 as an entrance fee and it takes 15 minutes (more like 30 minutes actually) to reach the hot spring. It was enough for me but I wasn't feel comfortable as there were too many people and we shared the same pool with other gender. There were 3 or 4 pools and each pool can accommodate maximum 6-10 people. More people would just join in if there were too many people around.
We returned to the hotel, unpack and repack our backpacks. While waiting for dinner, we just stayed in the room, too lazy to get out of the room. I had lovely baked macaroni for dinner and I think it's the best meal I had during the hiking trip.
 |
| One of the pools at Jhinu hot spring (Photo credit : Alliance Himalaya) |
On the seventh day, we headed to Syauli Bazaar but taking different route, passing through Kyume (coffee stop) and Siwai. We had lunch at Shangri-La Guest House which was in the middle between Kyume and Siwai. I was supposed to be able to walk without any problem but my backpack seemed to be a little heavy this time due to damp cloth in it. It was totally irritating and I was a bit grumpy due to my own mistake. Should have washed the clothes much earlier and they could have totally dry.
The good thing about taking this route was that we've walked on a flat road, no uphills or downhills. This flat road started after we passed through Siwai village. I had difficulties going through this route because of the extra load on my back. The humid and stifling hot weather was another factor too. Not only that, I have another set of blisters on my foot which were more horrible. To overcome this, I tried to walk slowly and it was boring because I couldn't enjoy the scenery that much while doing so. At this moment, I was hoping I was still in the higher altitude. I just miss the cooling and fresh air.
When reaching Syauli Bazar around 2.30 pm, we got off the road and took several flights of stairs downhill to the River Side Guess House. Room rate was NPR 350, detached bathroom. After checking in, the first I did was the laundry (again!!) and unfortunately it was raining heavily after I have done the washing. I wasn't feeling upset, angry or grumpy, but I smiled, thinking of how the nature can be really funny sometimes.
Since this was our last night, I ordered a lot of food, including the Nepalese version of dumpling called 'momo'. They have 2 versions of momo, steamed or deep-fried, so I picked the steamed momo. After dinner, and after having the stomach to bloat, I went off to bed and slept well.
 |
| Momo (photo kredit : Travel Talk |
Our last day of hiking was a mixture of feelings. The walk from Syauli Bazaar to Nayapool was the easiest so I don't have much worthy things to share. It was an emotional to bid good bye to this region. Despite the challenges and the aches, the hiking experience to Annapurna Base Camp just made me feel like doing it again. I learnt my physical, mental and emotion limitations and I knew I would be able to do it again. The gorgeous ABC was truly mesmerizing and worth reaching for. Till we meet again, Annapurna
